Toronto Humane Society reopens adoptions

A Toronto Humane Society shelter bustled with activity on Monday as dozens of potential pet adopters streamed through the facility for the first time in more than a month.

People such as Gordon and Erica Williams, who browsed through about two dozen caged dogs, say they had been waiting patiently for the shelter to reopen after a raid by investigators with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) in late November.

John Mbelos was one of the first visitors in the door, and his family left soon afterward with a friendly brown Labrador named Dixie. "He doesn't deserve to be in a cage," Mbelos said of his new canine friend, noting his family wanted to get a jump on the adoption process because "we knew a lot of people would come to adopt today."

About 125 cats and 25 dogs were available for adoption Monday, a humane society spokesman said, while hundreds of other animals were still awaiting veterinary test results.

The River Street shelter has been closed since late November after the OSPCA raid, which was based on allegations of animal cruelty at the downtown facility.

Several top officials were criminally charged.

For the time being, the shelter is being operated by both humane society staff and OSPCA officials.

The provincial society is in charge of animal care while Toronto Humane Society staff are handling other operations.